Content:

(BB, ACAC, PP, M) Strong moral worldview with strong Anti-Communist, pro-American content when three dastardly Communist flies from Russian try to stop the first moon landing mission, including three references to God; one b-u-t-t, three light profanities when mother fly exclaims “Lord of the Flies” (this has traditionally been another name for Satan but it’s possible to consider this as referring to God as in the Lord of All Creation), burping in two scenes, passing gas in one scene, and reference to dung beetles; light slapstick and action violence such as fighting between heroes and villains in one sequence; no sex; no nudity; no alcohol; no smoking; and, children characters sneak away from their parents to do something without their approval, anachronistic reference to “self-esteem” and movie shows mother characters and a grandfather but no fathers.

Summary:

FLY ME TO THE MOON is a 3-D animated movie about three young flies who hitch a ride aboard the American Apollo 11 spacecraft destined to land on the moon. The animation in FLY ME TO THE MOON is sharp and the 3-D effects are pretty nifty in this family-friendly animated tale.

Review:

FLY ME TO THE MOON is the first completely 3-D animated family movie made solely for that format in its first theatrical release.

The movie opens in 1969 with three young flies, led by Nat, pretending to be astronauts while playing in the shadow of NASA’s launchpad at Cape Kennedy in Florida. Nat idolizes his grandfather, an adventurer who wears what looks like an old leather pilot’s jacket. His grandfather tells Nat stories about his adventures, especially the time he helped Amelia Earhart cross the Atlantic Ocean.

Nat convinces his two buddies to sneak onto the capsule for Apollo 11, the spacecraft carrying Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins to the moon. Nat wants to be the first fly to land on the moon.

The animation in FLY ME TO THE MOON is sharp and the 3-D effects are pretty nifty, though they sometimes could be cleverer as well as bigger. Younger children probably will enjoy this movie the best. It has an exciting finish when Nat’s grandfather and an old Russian girlfriend have to stop three dastardly Communist flies from Russia trying to sabotage the moon mission.

Viewers will get a positive view of America from FLY ME TO THE MOON. Another positive point comes in a little epilogue when Buzz Aldrin himself comes on the screen to assure the audience that there were no flies in the capsule of Apollo 11, or the moon lander, thus setting the historical record straight for impressionable children. One problem area is that the children sneak onto the capsule without permission.

In Brief:

FLY ME TO THE MOON is the first completely 3-D animated family release made solely for that format. The movie opens in 1969 with three young flies, led by Nat, pretending to be astronauts while playing in the shadow of NASA’s launchpad in Florida. Nat idolizes his grandfather, an adventurer who wears an old pilot’s jacket. His grandfather tells stories about his adventures, especially the time he helped Amelia Earhart cross the Atlantic Ocean. Nat convinces his two buddies to sneak onto the capsule for Apollo 11, the spacecraft carrying Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins to the moon. Nat wants to be the first fly to land on the moon.

The animation in FLY ME TO THE MOON is sharp and the 3-D effects are pretty nifty, though they sometimes could be cleverer as well as bigger. Younger children probably will enjoy this movie the best. It has an exciting finish when Nat’s grandfather and an old Russian girlfriend have to stop three dastardly Communist flies from Russia trying to sabotage the moon mission. Viewers will get a positive view of America from FLY ME TO THE MOON.